Patient support apparatuses with location/movement detection

ABSTRACT

A patient support apparatus includes a first transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a second transceiver of a headwall interface that is positioned off of the patient support apparatus. A communication link is automatically established between the first and second transceivers without requiring a user of the patient support apparatus to activate a designated control and without requiring the user to identify the headwall interface. The first transceiver includes a unique identifier assigned to the headwall interface in its messages to the headwall interface. The first transceiver may also automatically transmit a disconnect signal to the headwall interface indicating the termination of the communication link is not accidental. The disconnect signal is sent based on one or more of the following: (1) a brake being off, (2) an A/C power cord being unplugged; and/or (3) a signal strength between the transceivers decreasing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to commonly assigned U.S. provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 62/587,867 filed Nov. 17, 2017, by inventorsAlexander Josef Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSESWITH LOCATION/MOVEMENT DETECTION, the complete disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to medical facilities having headwallswith one or more connectors that enable communication between a patientsupport apparatus (e.g. a bed, stretcher, cot, recliner, wheelchair,etc.) and one or more devices that are coupled to a headwallcommunication interface (e.g. a nurse call system, entertainmentcontrols, room controls, etc.).

Medical facilities, such as hospitals, typically include a headwallhaving one or more outlets and/or other types of connectors into whichthe plugs of cables connected to medical devices can be inserted. Forexample, headwalls will typically include at least one outlet thatinterfaces with a nurse-call system and which is designed to accept acable from a hospital bed, or from a hand-held pendant positioned on thebed. When the cable is plugged into this outlet, a patient positioned onthe bed is able to press a button to summon a nurse and/or tocommunicate aurally with the nurse.

Existing headwall connectors also typically communicate with one or moreenvironmental controls, such as one or more controls for in-roomtelevisions, room lights, and/or electrically movable curtains. When theappropriate device and its associated cable are plugged into theheadwall connector from a bed, pendant, or other device, a person isable to control the environmental control via the device (e.g. bed,pendant, or other device). Thus, for example, a patient positioned on abed is able to control the volume of a television in the room viacontrols on the bed due to the proper cable being connected from the bedto the headwall. In some instances, a single cable is plugged into asingle connector on the headwall and used for communicating both withthe nurse call system of the medical facility, and for communicatingwith the one or more environmental controls. In such instances, theheadwall connector is coupled to a room interface board that forwardsthe environmental control signals to the appropriate environmentalcontrol unit, and forwards the nurse call signals to the appropriatecomponent of the nurse call system.

SUMMARY

A patient support apparatus is provided that includes circuitry forwirelessly detecting a location and/or movement of the patient supportapparatus utilizing communications with a headwall interface of amedical facility. In some embodiments, the wireless circuitryautomatically determines whether the patient support apparatus isentering a room or exiting a room. One or more steps may automaticallybe taken in response to such a determination, such as, but not limitedto, changing a setting on one or more non-patient support apparatusdevices (e.g. a television, a radio, a thermostat, a room light, etc.).In other embodiments, the circuitry confirms the location of the patientsupport apparatus to a specific room and/or a specific zone within aroom. One or more reminders may also be provided to the caregiver inresponse to the detection of movement of the patient support apparatus.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a patient supportapparatus is provided that includes a support surface, a firsttransceiver, a second transceiver, and a controller. The support surfaceis adapted to support a person thereon. The first transceiver is adaptedto establish first wireless communication with a first headwall unitpositioned on a headwall of a room, and the second transceiver isadapted to establish second wireless communication with a secondheadwall unit positioned in the room. The controller automaticallydetermines from the first and second wireless communications at leastone of the following: (1) when the patient support apparatus is leavingthe room, and (2) when the patient support apparatus is entering theroom.

According to other aspects of the present disclosure, the controllerautomatically determines when the patient support apparatus is leavingthe room, and the controller does so by monitoring an order in which thefirst and second transceivers discontinue communication with the firstand second headwall units, respectively.

In some embodiments, the controller automatically determines when thepatient support apparatus is entering the room, and the controller doesso by monitoring an order in which the first and second transceiversestablish communication with the first and second headwall units,respectively.

The first transceiver may be an infrared transceiver or an opticaltransceiver, and the second transceiver may be a radio frequencytransceiver, such as, but not limited to, a Bluetooth transceiver.

The first transceiver communicates first periodic heartbeat messageswith the first headwall unit and the second transceiver communicatessecond periodic heartbeat messages with the second headwall unit, insome embodiments. The controller forwards information to a remotedevice, such as, but not limited to, a server, indicative of successfulcommunication of the first and second heartbeat messages. In someembodiments, the information indicative of successful communication isforwarded to the remote device using a third transceiver.

The patient support apparatus may also include a nurse call cableinterface and a nurse call connection detector. The nurse call cableinterface allows a nurse call cable to be connected between the patientsupport apparatus and a nurse call outlet of a nurse call system. Thenurse call connection detector detects when the nurse call cable is incommunication with the nurse call system. The controller is furtheradapted to remind the caregiver to couple the nurse call cable betweenthe patient support apparatus and the nurse call outlet if the caregiverfails to do so and if the first and second transceivers have establishedcommunication with the first and second headwall units, respectively.

In some embodiments, the patient support apparatus also includes apatient presence detector adapted to detect when a patient is present onthe support surface and when a patient is not present on the supportsurface. In such embodiments, the controller may further be adapted toautomatically deactivate at least one function of the patient supportapparatus if the controller determines the patient support apparatus isleaving the room and the patient is not present on the support surface.

The controller, in some embodiments, automatically sends a message to aremote device in response to determining the patient support apparatusis leaving the room. The message may include an instruction to performat least one of the following: (1) turn off a room light; (2) turn off aradio; (3) turn off a television; and (4) change a temperature settingin the room. Other instructions and/or actions may also or alternativelybe taken.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a patientsupport apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, a firsttransceiver, a second transceiver, and a controller. The support surfaceis adapted to support a person thereon. The first transceiver is adaptedto establish first wireless communication with a first headwall unitpositioned on a headwall of a room, and the second transceiver isadapted to establish second wireless communication with a secondheadwall unit positioned in the room. The controller automatically sendsa first message to a remote device indicating the patient supportapparatus is not in the room if the first and second transceivers areunable to establish the first and second wireless communication with thefirst and second headwall units, respectively.

According to other aspects, the controller is further adapted to send asecond message to the remote device indicating the patient supportapparatus is in a particular bay of the room if the first and secondtransceivers are able to establish first and second wirelesscommunication with the first and second headwall units, respectively.

In some embodiments, the controller sends a third message to the remotedevice indicating the patient support apparatus is in the room and anerror condition exists if only one of the first and second transceiversis able to establish communication with the first and second headwallunits, respectively.

The controller may further be adapted to automatically determine fromthe first and second wireless communications at least one of thefollowing: (1) when the patient support apparatus is leaving the room,and (2) when the patient support apparatus is entering the room.

When leaving the room, the controller may be adapted to automaticallydeactivate at least one function of the patient support apparatus if thecontroller determines the patient is not present on the support surface.Additionally, or alternatively, the controller may also send a messageto a remote device in response to determining the patient supportapparatus is leaving the room, and the message may include aninstruction to perform at least one of the following: (1) turn off aroom light; (2) turn off a radio; (3) turn off a television; and (4)change a temperature setting in the room.

When entering the room, the controller may be adapted to automaticallyactivate at least one function of the patient support apparatus.Additionally or alternatively, the controller may be further adapted tosend a message to a remote device in response to determining the patientsupport apparatus is entering the room. The message may include aninstruction to perform at least one of the following: (1) turn on a roomlight; (2) turn on a radio; (3) turn on a television; (4) change atemperature setting in the room; and (5) alert a caregiver to couple anurse call cable between the patient support apparatus and a nurse callinterface of a nurse call system.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a patient supportapparatus is provided that includes a support surface, a movementdetector, and a controller. The support surface is adapted to support aperson thereon. The movement detector detects if the patient supportapparatus is moving into or out of a room. The controller automaticallyperforms a first action if the movement detector detects the patientsupport apparatus is moving out of the room and automatically performs asecond action if the movement detector detects the patient supportapparatus is moving into the room.

The movement detector, in some embodiments, includes a first transceiveradapted to establish first wireless communication with a first headwallunit positioned on a headwall of the room and a second transceiveradapted to establish second wireless communication with a secondheadwall unit positioned in the room. Movement into and out of the roomis established by monitoring an order in which the first and secondtransceivers establish or discontinue communication with the first andsecond headwall units, respectively.

In any of the embodiments, the patient support apparatus may be a bed,recliner, cot, stretcher, wheelchair, or other type of mobile structureadapted to support a patient.

Before the various embodiments disclose herein are explained in detail,it is to be understood that the claims are not to be limited to thedetails of operation or to the details of construction and thearrangement of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The embodiments described herein arecapable of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways notexpressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may beused in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwiseexpressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed aslimiting the claims to any specific order or number of components. Norshould the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scopeof the claims any additional steps or components that might be combinedwith or into the enumerated steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus according toa first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1shown in a hospital room adjacent a headwall having a headwallinterface;

FIG. 3 is perspective view of an embodiment of one of the wall units ofthe headwall interface of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an alternative headwall interface;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1 andvarious components inside and outside of the room in which the patientsupport apparatus is located;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1shown communicating in a normal state with a headwall interface;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1shown with an RF obstruction in its communication with the headwallinterface;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1shown positioned out of range of an infrared communication transceiverof the headwall interface;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1shown positioned out of range of both transceivers of the headwallinterface;

FIG. 10 is a communication diagram showing an example of headwallcommunication when the patient support apparatus is entering a room orbay of a room; and

FIG. 11 is a communication diagram showing an example of headwallcommunication when the patient support apparatus is leaving a room orbay of a room.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

An illustrative patient support apparatus 20 according to a firstembodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. Although theparticular form of patient support apparatus 20 illustrated in FIG. 1 isa bed adapted for use in a hospital or other medical setting, it will beunderstood that patient support apparatus 20 could, in differentembodiments, be a cot, a stretcher, a recliner, a wheelchair, or anyother mobile structure capable of supporting a patient in a healthcareenvironment.

In general, patient support apparatus 20 includes a base 22 having aplurality of wheels 24, a pair of lifts 26 supported on the base 22, alitter frame 28 supported on the lifts 26, and a support deck 30supported on the litter frame 28. Patient support apparatus 20 furtherincludes a footboard 32 (which may be removable) and a plurality ofsiderails 34. Siderails 34 are all shown in a raised position in FIG. 1but are each individually movable to a lower position in which ingressinto, and egress out of, patient support apparatus 20 is not obstructedby the lowered siderails 34.

Lifts 26 are adapted to raise and lower litter frame 28 with respect tobase 22. Lifts 26 may be hydraulic actuators, pneumatic actuators,electric actuators, or any other suitable device for raising andlowering litter frame 28 with respect to base 22. In the illustratedembodiment, lifts 26 are operable independently so that the tilting oflitter frame 28 with respect to base 22 can also be adjusted. That is,litter frame 28 includes a head end 36 and a foot end 38, each of whoseheight can be independently adjusted by the nearest lift 26. Patientsupport apparatus 20 is designed so that when a person lies thereon, hisor her head will be positioned adjacent head end 36 and his or her feetwill be positioned adjacent foot end 38.

Litter frame 28 provides a structure for supporting support deck 30,footboard 32, and siderails 34. Support deck 30 provides a supportsurface for a mattress 40 (FIG. 2), such as, but not limited to, an air,fluid, or gel mattress. Alternatively, another type of soft cushion maybe supported on support deck 30 so that a person may comfortably lieand/or sit thereon. The top surface of the mattress or other cushionforms a support surface for the patient. Support deck 30 is made of aplurality of sections, some of which are pivotable about generallyhorizontal pivot axes. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, support deck30 includes a head section 42, a seat section 44, a thigh section 46,and a foot section 48. Head section 42, which is also sometimes referredto as a Fowler section, is pivotable about a generally horizontal pivotaxis between a generally horizontal orientation (not shown in FIG. 1)and a plurality of raised positions (one of which is shown in FIG. 1).Thigh section 46 and foot section 48 may also be pivotable aboutgenerally horizontal pivot axes.

Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a plurality of userinterfaces 50 that enable a user of patient support apparatus 20, suchas a patient and/or an associated caregiver, to control one or moreaspects of patient support apparatus 20. In the embodiment shown in FIG.1, patient support apparatus 20 includes a footboard user interface 50a, a pair of outer siderail user interfaces 50 b (only one of which isvisible), and a pair of inner siderail user interfaces 50 c (only one ofwhich is visible). Footboard user interface 50 a and outer siderail userinterfaces 50 b are intended to be used by caregivers, or otherauthorized personnel, while inner siderail user interfaces 50 c areintended to be used by the patient associated with patient supportapparatus 20. Not all of the user interfaces 50 include the samecontrols and/or functionality. In the illustrated embodiment, footboarduser interface 50 a includes a complete set of controls for controllingpatient support apparatus 20 while user interfaces 50 b and 50 c includea selected subset of those controls.

The controls of user interfaces 50 allow a user to control one or moreof the following: change a height of support deck 30, raise or lowerhead section 42, activate and deactivate a brake for wheels 24, arm anddisarm an exit detection system and, as will be explained in greaterdetail below, communicate with the particular IT infrastructureinstalled in the healthcare facility in which patient support apparatus20 is positioned. Inner siderail user interfaces 50 c may also include anurse call control that enables a patient to call a nurse. A speaker andmicrophone are included in order to allow the patient to aurallycommunicate with the remotely positioned nurse.

Footboard user interface 50 a is implemented in the embodiment shown inFIG. 1 as a control panel having a lid (flipped down in FIG. 1)underneath which is positioned a plurality of controls. The controls maybe implemented as buttons, dials, switches, or other devices. Any ofuser interfaces 50 a-c may also include a display for displayinginformation regarding patient support apparatus 20. The display may be atouchscreen in some embodiments.

The mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20, as shown inFIG. 1, is the same as, or nearly the same as, the mechanicalconstruction of the Model 3002 S3 bed manufactured and sold by StrykerCorporation of Kalamazoo, Mich. This mechanical construction isdescribed in greater detail in the Stryker Maintenance Manual for theMedSurg Bed, Model 3002 S3, published in 2010 by Stryker Corporation ofKalamazoo, Mich., the complete disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference. The construction of patient support apparatus 20may take on a wide variety of different forms. In some embodiments,other than the components described below, patient support apparatus 20is constructed in any of the manners described in commonly assigned,U.S. Pat. No. 8,689,376 issued Apr. 8, 2014 by inventors David Becker etal. and entitled PATIENT HANDLING DEVICE INCLUDING LOCAL STATUSINDICATION, ONE-TOUCH FOWLER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT, AND POWER-ON ALARMCONFIGURATION, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference. In other embodiments, those components of patientsupport apparatus 20 not described below are constructed in any of themanners described in commonly assigned, U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/775,285 filed Feb. 25, 2013 by inventors Guy Lemire et al. andentitled HOSPITAL BED, the complete disclosure of which is also herebyincorporated herein by reference. In still other embodiments, thosecomponents of patient support apparatus 20 not described below areconstructed in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/212,009 filed Mar. 14, 2014 by inventorsChristopher Hough et al., and entitled MEDICAL SUPPORT APPARATUS. Themechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20 may also take onforms different from what is disclosed in the aforementioned references.

FIG. 2 illustrates patient support apparatus 20 coupled to the ITinfrastructure 52 of an illustrative healthcare facility according toone common configuration. As shown therein, the healthcare facilityincludes a headwall 54, a cable interface 56 mounted to the headwall 54,a room interface board 58 in communication with cable interface 56, anda plurality devices and components in communication with the roominterface board 58, such as a nurse call system 60, a set ofentertainment controls 62, one or more room lights 64, and a thermostat66. Cable interface 56, room interface board 58, nurse call system 60,entertainment controls 62, room lights 64, and thermostat 66 may all beconventional pre-existing components that are installed in thehealthcare facility independently of patient support apparatus 20 andits associated headwall interfaces 72, as will be discussed in moredetail below. Additional IT infrastructure beyond what is shown in FIG.2 may also be present in the healthcare facility, some examples of whichare discussed in more detail below with respect to FIG. 5.

Entertainment controls 62 are conventional controls that control one ormore aspects of the entertainment equipment that may be present in theparticular room in which patient support apparatus 20 is located. Suchentertainment equipment may include a television, video recorder, radio,etc., and entertainment controls 62 may include controls for controllingthe volume, the channel, and the power. Room lights 64 provide lightingto one or more sections of the room in which patient support apparatus20 is located. Room lights 64 may be conventional overhead lights and/orone or more night lights or other more localized lights within the room.Thermostat 66 controls the temperature of the room and/or a portion ofthe room (e.g. a particular bay) in which patient support apparatus 20is located. Thermostat 66 is in communication with a conventionalHeating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Nurse callsystem 60 may be a conventional nurse call system having one or morenurses' stations positioned throughout the healthcare facility. Nursecall system 60 routes room calls from patient support apparatus 20 toone or more nurses' stations so that the patient is able to speak with aremotely positioned nurse at a nurses' station while the patient issupported on patient support apparatus 20, as is known in the art.

Patient support apparatus 20 is adapted to wirelessly communicate with afirst wall unit 68 and a second wall unit 70. First and second wallunits 68 and 70 together form a headwall interface 72. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 1, first and second wall units 68 and 70 are two separatewall units. In other embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 4, wall units 68and 70 are combined into a single wall unit, as discussed in more detailbelow. Regardless of whether coupled together in a single housing orseparated into two physically disparate units, first and second wallunits 68 and 70 are adapted to communicate with each other, in at leastsome embodiments. Such communication takes place via a wired connectionwhen units 68 and 70 are combined in a single housing, and may takeplace wirelessly when units 68 and 70 are physically separated. In stillother embodiments, units 68 and 70 are not adapted to communicate witheach other.

Second wall unit 70 includes a cable 74 that is coupled to cableinterface 56. Cable 74 allows second wall unit 70 to communicate withcable interface 56 and all of the components in communication with cableinterface 56 (e.g. nurse call system 60, room interface board 58, etc.).Cable 74 includes a connector 76 (FIG. 3) that is adapted to mate withcable interface 56.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of second wall unit 70 inwhich cable 74 has been omitted. In this embodiment, second wall unit 70has connector 76 integrated therein and second wall unit 70 couplesdirectly to cable interface 56. Connector 76 in this embodiment includesan integral plug 78 that is adapted to be inserted into cable interface56, which is a conventional cable interface that exists within a medicalfacility. Cable interface 56 is a receptacle that is dimensioned andshaped to selectively frictionally retain plug 78 therein and to supportthe entire second wall unit 70. One or more alignment posts 80 may beincluded with plug 78 in order to more securely retain second wall unit70 to cable interface 56, if desired.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, plug 78 is a 37 pin connector thatincludes 37 pins adapted to be inserted into 37 mating sockets of cableinterface 56. Such 37 pin connections are one of the most common typesof connectors found on existing headwalls of medical facilities formaking connections to the nurse call system 60 and/or the room interfaceboard 58. Second wall unit 70 of FIGS. 2 and 3 is therefore configuredto mate with one of the most common type of cable interfaces 56 used inmedical facilities. Such 37 pin connectors, however, are not the onlytype of connectors, and it will be understood that second wall unit 70and cable 74 can be adapted to electrically couple to different types ofcable interfaces 56. One example of such an alternative cable interface56 and cable is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/819,844 filed Aug. 6, 2015 by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapuet al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALLCOMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference. Still other types of cable interface 56 and correspondingcable connectors 76 may be utilized.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, second wall unit 70 includes anelectrical plug 82 adapted to be inserted into a conventional electricaloutlet 84. Electrical plug 82 enables second wall unit 70 to receivepower from the mains electrical supply via outlet 84. It will beappreciated that, in some embodiments, second wall unit 70 is batteryoperated and plug 82 may be omitted. In still other embodiments, secondwall unit 70 may be both battery operated and include plug 82 so that,in the event of a power failure, battery power supplies power to secondwall unit 70, and/or in the event of a battery failure, electrical poweris received through outlet 84.

The embodiment of second wall unit 70 shown in FIG. 3 also includes aplurality of status lights 86. Status lights 86 provide visualindications about one or more aspects of second wall unit 70. Forexample, in some embodiments, the illumination of one of status lights86 indicates that second wall unit 70 is in successful communicationwith room interface board 58. The illumination of another one of statuslights 86 may indicate that second wall unit 70 is in successfulcommunication with patient support apparatus 20. Still further, theillumination of one or more additional status lights 86 may indicatethat power is being supplied to second wall unit 70 and/or the status ofa battery included within second wall unit 70.

Second wall unit 70 is adapted to wirelessly receive signals frompatient support apparatus 20 and deliver the signals to cable interface56 in a manner that matches the way the signals would otherwise bedelivered to cable interface 56 if a conventional cable were connectedbetween patient support apparatus 20 and cable interface 56. In otherwords, patient support apparatus 20 and second wall unit 70 cooperatetogether to provide signals to cable interface 56 in a manner that istransparent to cable interface 56 and room interface board 58 such thatthey cannot detect whether they are in communication with patientsupport apparatus 20 via wired or wireless communication. In thismanner, a healthcare facility can utilize the wireless communicationabilities of one or more patient support apparatuses 20 without havingto make any changes to their existing cable interfaces 56 (or to theirnurse call system 60 or room interface boards 58).

In at least one embodiment, in addition to sending signals received frompatient support apparatus 20 to cable interface 56, second wall unit 70is also adapted to forward signals received from cable interface 56 topatient support apparatus 20. Second wall unit 70 is therefore adapted,in at least one embodiment, to provide bidirectional communicationbetween patient support apparatus 20 and cable interface 56. Suchbidirectional communication includes, but is not limited to,communicating audio signals between a person supported on patientsupport apparatus 20 and a caregiver positioned remotely from patientsupport apparatus 20 (which is accomplished by second wall unit 70forwarding the audio signals of the person on patient support apparatus20 to nurse call system 60, and vice versa).

Second wall unit 70 communicates the data and signals it receives frompatient support apparatus 20 by directing the incoming data and signalsit receives to the appropriate pin or pins of cable interface 56. Forexample, when cable interface 56 includes 37 sockets for coupling to a37 pin plug, it is common for pins #30 and #31 to be used for indicatinga “priority alert,” which is often synonymous with an alert that isissued when a patient exits from patient support apparatus 20. Further,depending upon the particular configuration that has been implemented ata particular healthcare facility, the connection between pins #30 and#31 may be normally open or it may be normally closed. Regardless ofwhether it is normally open or normally closed, whenever second wallunit 70 receives a message from patient support apparatus 20 that aperson has exited from patient support apparatus 20, second wall unit 70will change the status of pins #30 and #31 such that they switch fromwhatever state they are normally in to their opposite state. Second wallunit 70 therefore reacts to the exit message it receives from patientsupport apparatus 20 by either opening or closing pins #30 and #31. Thenurse call system 60 that is communicatively coupled to cable interface56 interprets this opening or closing of pins #30 and #31 in the samemanner as if a cable were coupled between cable interface 56, such as bysending the appropriate signals to one or more nurse's stations,flashing a light outside the room of patient support apparatus 20,forwarding a call to a mobile communication device carried by thecaregiver assigned to the patient of patient support apparatus 20,and/or taking other steps, depending upon the specific configuration ofthe nurse call system.

In addition to sending data indicating that a patient of patient supportapparatus 20 has exited, or is about to exit, therefrom, patient supportapparatus 20 is configured, in at least one embodiment, to wirelesslysend to second wall unit 70 at least the following additional messages:messages to turn on or off one or more room lights; messages to turn onor off one or more reading lights; messages to increase or decrease thevolume of a nearby television set or radio; messages to change a channelof the nearby television set or radio; and messages containing audiopackets generated from one or more microphones on the patient supportapparatus 20 into which the patient of patient support apparatus 20speaks when desiring to communicate with a remote caregiver.

In other embodiments, patient support apparatus 20 is configured towirelessly send to second wall unit 70 any one or more of the followingmessages, either in addition to or in lieu of any one or more of themessages just mentioned: messages indicating the current status of oneor more siderails 34 of patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. whether theside rails are up or down, or have changed position); messagesindicating the current status of a brake on patient support apparatus20; messages indicating the current status of the height of support deck30 relative to base 22 (e.g. such as whether support deck 30 is at itslowest height or not); messages indicating the current angle of headsection 42; messages indicating the current status of an exit detectionsystem (e.g. whether the exit detection system is armed or not);messages indicating the current charging status of one or more batterieson patient support apparatus 20; messages indicating the current statusof an alternating current (A/C) power cable on patient support apparatus20 (e.g. whether it is plugged in or not); diagnostic information aboutpatient support apparatus 20; and/or any other messages containinginformation about patient support apparatus 20 which may be useful tocommunicate to a remote location.

In at least one embodiment, second wall unit 70 is further configured totransmit information to cable interface 56 that does not originate frompatient support apparatus 20, but instead is generated internally withinsecond wall unit 70. For example, in one embodiment, second wall unit 70is adapted to forward to cable interface 56 a signal that indicates a“cord-out” alert whenever the communication link between second wallunit 70 and patient support apparatus 20 is unintentionally lost. Inmany instances, when a conventional cable is coupled between cableinterface 56 and a hospital bed, and the cable is inadvertentlydisconnected, the electrical status of pins 10 and 11 (in a conventional37 pin connection) will be changed such that the nurse call system willrecognize that the cable has become disconnected, and will thereforeissue an appropriate alert to the appropriate personnel. Second wallunit 70 is configured to make the same changes to pins 10 and 11 when itunintentionally loses communication with patient support apparatus 20that would be made to pins 10 and 11 if a cable connection betweenpatient support apparatus 20 and cable interface 56 were to becomeunintentionally disconnected. Thus, second wall unit 70 and patientsupport apparatus 20 together include the same ability to provide anindication to cable interface 56 of an unintentional disconnection thatexists in some currently-available cable connections to cableinterfaces. Still other types of signals that originate from withinsecond wall unit 70 may also be sent to cable interface 56 in additionto, or in lieu of, this cord-out alert.

In addition to forwarding any of the above-described messages or signalsto cable interface 56, second wall unit 70 is also adapted, in at leastone embodiment, to forward the following messages to patient supportapparatus 20 based on information it receives from devices incommunication with cable interface 56: messages indicating theestablishment and disestablishment of a nurse-call communication link(e.g. messages used for turning on and off a “nurse answer” light onpatient support apparatus 20); and messages containing audio packets ofa caregiver's voice (generated from a microphone into which thecaregiver speaks and forwarded to the appropriate pins of cableinterface 56).

In other embodiments, one or more additional messages are alsotransmitted to patient support apparatus 20 that originate from withinsecond wall unit 70, rather than from any of the devices incommunication with cable interface 56. Such messages include any one ormore of the following: the charge status of a battery within second wallunit 70 or a battery inside first wall unit 68; acknowledgements ofmessages transmitted from patient support apparatus 20 to second wallunit 70; and messages used to establish, maintain, and disestablish thecommunication link between patient support apparatus 20 and second wallunit 70.

As was noted previously, first wall unit 68 and second wall unit 70 maybe integrated into a single housing, in some embodiments. FIG. 4illustrates one such embodiment. Headwall interface 72 includes bothfirst wall unit 68 and second wall unit 70. As shown therein, headwallinterface 72 includes a cable interface 88 that is adapted to receiveone end of cable 74. The other end of cable 74, as noted, plugs intocable interface 56. In those embodiments of headwall interface 72 wherefirst wall unit 68 and second wall unit 70 are physically separated,cable interface 88 is built into second wall unit 70.

As is also shown in FIG. 4, patient support apparatus 20 includes afirst wireless transceiver 90 and a second wireless transceiver 92.First wireless transceiver 90 is adapted to wirelessly communicate withfirst wall unit 68 and second wireless transceiver 92 is adapted towirelessly communicate with second wall unit 70. In the embodiment shownin FIG. 4, first transceiver 90 is an infrared transceiver and secondtransceiver 92 is a Bluetooth transceiver (e.g. IEEE 802.14.1 orstandards developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group). It will beunderstood, however, that in other embodiments, first wirelesstransceiver 90 and/or second wireless transceiver 92 may utilize otherforms of Radio Frequency (RF) and non-RF communication. As one example,first transceiver 90 may be implemented as an optical transceiver.

As shown in FIG. 4, patient support apparatus 20 may further include acable interface 94 that is adapted to couple a cable, which may be ofthe same type as cable 74, between patient support apparatus 20 andcable interface 56 in those situations where wireless headwall interface72 is not present, not functional, or otherwise not able to be used. Insuch situations, patient support apparatus 20 communicates with cableinterface 56 directly via the cable coupled to cable interface 94 ofpatient support apparatus 20 and cable interface 56 of headwall 54.

FIG. 5 illustrates in greater detail various components of patientsupport apparatus 20, as well as more of the healthcare ITinfrastructure 52 that may be present in a particular healthcarefacility. With respect to patient support apparatus 20, in addition tocable interface 94 and first and second wireless transceivers 90 and 92,it includes a controller 96, a patient presence detector 98, a cabledetector 100, a third transceiver 102, and one or more sensors 104.Controller 96 includes any and all electrical circuitry and componentsnecessary to carry out the functions and algorithms described herein, aswould be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Generally speaking,controller 96 may include one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors,and/or other programmable electronics that are programmed to carry outthe functions described herein.

For example, in one embodiment, controller 96 is any one of the i.MXfamily of system-on-chip (SoC) processors and/or any one of the KinetisK60 family of microcontroller units (MCUs), both of which are marketedby Freescale Semiconductor of Austin, Tex. Other microcontroller units,however, may be used. Still further, it will be understood thatcontroller 96 may also include other electronic components that areprogrammed to carry out the functions described herein, or that supportthe microcontrollers, microprocessors, and/or other electronics. Theother electronic components include, but are not limited to, one or morefield programmable gate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile ornonvolatile memory, discrete circuitry, integrated circuits, applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs) and/or other hardware, software, orfirmware, as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Suchcomponents can be physically configured in any suitable manner, such asby mounting them to one or more circuit boards, or arranging them inother manners, whether combined into a single unit or distributed acrossmultiple units. Such components may be physically distributed indifferent positions within patient support apparatus 20, or they mayreside in a common location within patient support apparatus 20. Whenphysically distributed, the components may communicate using anysuitable serial or parallel communication protocol, such as, but notlimited to, CAN, LIN, Firewire, I-squared-C, RS-232, RS-465, universalserial bus (USB), etc. The instructions followed by controller 96 incarrying out the functions described herein, as well as the datanecessary for carrying out these functions, are stored in one or moreaccessible memories (not shown).

Patient presence detector 98 is adapted to automatically detect whetheror not a patient is currently present on patient support apparatus 20.The specific components of patient present detector 98 and/or manner inwhich it detects a patients' presence/absence may vary from embodimentto embodiment. In one embodiment, patient presence detector 98 includesa plurality of force sensors, such as, but not limited to, load cellsthat detect the weight and/or center of gravity of the patient.Illustrative manners in which such force sensors can be used to detectthe presence and absence of a patient, as well as the center of gravityof the patient, are disclosed in the following commonly assigned U.S.patent references: U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,432 issued to Travis and entitledPATIENT EXIT DETECTION MECHANISM FOR HOSPITAL BED; and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 62/253,167 filed Nov. 10, 2015, by inventors MarkoKostic et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH ACCELERATIONDETECTION, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporatedherein by reference. Other algorithms for processing the outputs of theforce sensors may also be used for detecting a patient's presence andabsence.

Patient presence detector 98 may be implemented in other manners inother embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, patient presencedetector 98 includes one or more thermal sensors mounted to patientsupport apparatus 20 that are used to detect the absence/presence of thepatient and/or the position of the patient's head on patient supportapparatus 20. Further details of such a thermal sensing system aredisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/692,871 filed Apr. 22, 2015, by inventors Marko Kostic et al. andentitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH POSITION MONITORING, the completedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

In still other embodiments, patient presence detector 98 detects theabsence or presence of a patient using one or more of the methodsdisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/928,513 filed Oct. 30, 2015, by inventors Richard Derenne et al. andentitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH PATIENT MOBILITY MONITORING,the complete disclosure of which is also hereby incorporated herein byreference. In yet other embodiments, patient presence detector 98includes one or more video cameras for detecting the patient's presence,absence, and/or position, such as disclosed in commonly assigned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/578,630 filed Dec. 22, 2014, by inventorsRichard Derenne et al. and entitled VIDEO MONITORING SYSTEM, thecomplete disclosure of which is also hereby incorporated herein byreference. In yet another alternative embodiment, the presence, absence,and/or position of a patient is detected using a pressure sensing mat.The pressure sensing mat is positioned on top of the mattress or supportdeck 30, such as is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/003,157 filed Mar. 2, 2012, by inventors JoshuaMix et al. and entitled SENSING SYSTEM FOR PATIENT SUPPORTS, thecomplete disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference.In still other embodiments, patient presence detector 98 may take onstill other forms.

Cable detector 100 is adapted to detect whether a cable is coupled tocable interface 94 of patient support apparatus 20. Cable detector 100,in at least one embodiment, is implemented as a conventional voltagedetector that detects a voltage supplied by the cable when the cable isplugged into cable interface 94. The voltage is supplied by cableinterface 56 of headwall 54. Thus, when a cable is coupled betweenpatient support apparatus 20 and cable interface 56 of headwall 54, thecable will have a non-zero voltage on at least one of the pins of theconnector that is coupled to cable interface 94 of patient supportapparatus 20. Cable detector 100 detects this voltage (or its absencewhen the cable is not plugged into patient support apparatus 20, or notcoupled at its other end to cable interface 56 of headwall 54), andreports the presence/absence of the cable to controller 96. Controller96 uses this information in any of the manners discussed in greaterdetail below.

Third transceiver 102 is an optional transceiver that patient supportapparatus 20 may include in order to communicate with one or moreservers of a healthcare facility network 106 (e.g. a local area network)of the healthcare facility in which patient support apparatus 20 ispositioned (FIG. 5). Third transceiver 102 is adapted to communicatewith one or more of the servers of healthcare network 106 via one ormore of a plurality of access points 108 of healthcare network 106. Insome embodiments, third transceiver 102 is a WiFi transceiver (IEEE802.11) adapted to communicate with access points 108 using any of thevarious WiFi protocols (IEEE 802.11b, 801.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac . . . ,etc.). In still other embodiments, third transceiver 102 may be adaptedto communicate using any of the frequencies, protocols, and/or standardsdisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.62/430,500 filed Dec. 6, 2016, by inventor Michael Hayes and entitledNETWORK COMMUNICATION FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the completedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In still otherembodiments, third transceiver 102 may take on other forms and/orprotocols.

It will be understood that patient support apparatus 20 includes morecomponents than those shown in FIG. 5, and that controller 96 maycontrol more than the components shown in FIG. 5. For example, as notedwith respect to FIG. 1, patient support apparatus 20 includes aplurality of user interfaces 50. Those user interfaces may be in directcommunication with controller 96 and/or under the control of controller96, or those user interfaces 50 may be under the control of a separatecontroller that is, in turn, in communication with controller 96.Patient support apparatus 20 may also include an exit detection systemthat is under the control of controller 96, or that includes its owncontroller that communicates with controller 96. One such suitable exitdetection system is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.5,276,432 issued to Travis and entitled PATIENT EXIT DETECTION MECHANISMFOR HOSPITAL BED, which is incorporated herein by reference, althoughother types of exit detection systems may be included with patientsupport apparatus 20. Still other components may be present on patientsupport apparatus 20 and under the control of controller 96 or anothercontroller onboard patient support apparatus 20.

Patient support apparatus 20 is depicted as being located in a room 112of a healthcare facility in FIG. 5. The healthcare facility may includeadditional rooms 112 a, 112 b, etc. that are similar to room 112. Thatis, each room may include one or more headwall interfaces 72, and eachheadwall interface 72 is in communication with a cable interface 56 andthe room interface board 58 for that particular room. The room interfaceboards 58, in turn, are in communication with the thermostat 66, roomlights 64, and entertainment controls 62 for that particular room. Stillfurther, each room interface board 58 is coupled to the nurse callsystem 60. The nurse call system 60, in some embodiments, is incommunication with the healthcare facility computer network 106.

Healthcare facility computer network 106 includes a plurality of servers110. Although not shown, healthcare facility computer network 106 mayinclude an Internet server and/or an Internet gateway that couplesnetwork 106 to the Internet, thereby enabling servers 110, patientsupport apparatuses 20, and other applications on network 106 tocommunicate with computers outside of the healthcare facility, such as,but not limited to, a geographically remote server operated under thecontrol of the manufacturer of patient support apparatuses 20. Computernetwork 106 also includes a location server 110 a that is adapted tomonitor and record the current locations of patient support apparatuses20 within the healthcare facility. Location server 110 a is incommunication with the patient support apparatuses 20 via access points108 and third transceiver 102. In some embodiments, location server 110a shares the location of the patient support apparatuses 20 a with otherapplications and/or servers on network 106. Still further, in someembodiments, location server 110 a records a location history of each ofthe patient support apparatuses 20 for later retrieval by authorizedpersonnel and/or authorized servers 110. Further description of locationserver 110 a is provided below.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the particularcomponents of network 106 shown in FIG. 5 may vary widely. For example,although FIG. 5 shows nurse call system 60 coupled to network 106, thismay be varied. Further, network 106 may include a conventionalAdmission, Discharge, and Tracking (ADT) server that allows patientsupport apparatuses 20 to retrieve information identifying the patientassigned to a particular patient support apparatus 20. Location server110 a may also forward location information regarding the currentlocation each of patient support apparatuses 20 to the ADT server.Healthcare network 106 may also be in communication with a conventionalElectronic Medical Records (EMR) server such that patient supportapparatuses 20 are able to send data to, and retrieve data from, the EMRserver via third transceiver 102. Still further, healthcare network 106may further include one or more conventional work flow servers and/orcharting servers that assign, monitor, and/or schedule patient-relatedtasks to particular caregivers, and/or one or more conventionalcommunication servers that forward communications to particularindividuals within the healthcare facility, such as via one or moreportable devices (smart phones, pagers, beepers, laptops, etc.). Theforwarded communications may include data and/or alerts that originatefrom patient support apparatuses 20.

Sensors 104 of patient support apparatus 20 may take on a variety ofdifferent forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greaterdetail below, sensors 104 include any one or more of the following: abrake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied abrake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detectthe height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 isat its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whethersiderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exitdetection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detectionsystem on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; amicrophone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patientsupport apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with aremotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or anothertype of sensor.

First and second transceivers 90 and 92 of patient support apparatus 20are adapted to communicate wirelessly with the headwall interface 72that is positioned in the same room that patient support apparatus 20 iscurrently located in. As noted previously, headwall interface 72includes first wall unit 68 and second wall unit 70, and these wallunits may be combined together into a single unit having a single,common housing, or they may be separate units (such as shown in FIG. 2).Regardless of whether they are separated or integrated together, firstand second wall units 68 and 70 of headwall interface 72 are adapted tocommunicate with first and second transceivers 90 and 92, respectively,of patient support apparatus 20.

As is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 6-9 and discussed more below,first and second transceivers 90 and 92 are utilized by controller 96 ofpatient support apparatus 20 to communicate information wirelessly frompatient support apparatus 20 to room interface board 58 and to determinethe location of, and communication status of, patient support apparatus20 with respect to cable interface 56. As is shown in FIG. 6, a typicalhealthcare facility room 112 includes a headwall 54 having a headwallinterface 72 and at least one bay area 114. Bay area 114 refers to thearea in front of, or adjacent to, headwall interface 72 and is the areawhere the patient support apparatus 20 typically remains when it ispositioned within that particular room 112. In some healthcarefacilities, one or more of the rooms are single patient supportapparatus rooms in which only a single patient support apparatus ispresent (private rooms). In such rooms, there is only one bay.Healthcare facilities, however, typically include one or more rooms inwhich multiple patient support apparatuses 20 are positioned(semi-private rooms). In such rooms, there are multiple bays 114 for themultiple patient support apparatuses 20.

First and second transceivers 90 and 92 act to wirelessly replace theconventional nurse-call cable that runs from patient support apparatus20 to cable interface 56. That is, first and second transceivers 90 and92 allow patient support apparatus 20 to wirelessly communicate withroom interface board 58 (and all of the components in communication withroom interface board 58) without having to run a cable between patientsupport apparatus 20 and cable interface 56. This eliminates a caregivertask that would otherwise need to be completed, thereby improving theefficiency of the healthcare staff.

When patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within a bay 114 and innormal communication with headwall interface 72, both of thetransceivers 90 and 92 are in communication with both of the wall units68 and 70. That is, first transceiver 90 is in communication with firstwall unit 68 and second transceiver 92 is in communication with secondwall unit 70. As was noted previously, first wall unit 68 and firsttransceiver 90 are both adapted, in at least one embodiment, tocommunicate using infrared signals. Although other types ofcommunication may be used, the following additional description of thesetwo components (first transceiver 90 and first wall unit 68) will becarried out under the assumption that these two components communicateusing infrared. It will be understood, however, that this is notintended to limit the communication medium for these two components andthat other types of communication besides infrared are possible.Similarly, although other types of communication may be used betweensecond transceiver 92 and second wall unit 70, for purposes of thefollowing written description it will be assumed that these twocomponents communicate using conventional Bluetooth technology. Thiswritten description is not to be interpreted as an indication that othertypes of communication cannot be used between second transceiver 92 andsecond wall unit 70.

When a patient support apparatus 20 is properly positioned within a bay114 relative to headwall interface 72, both of the transceivers 90 and92 are able to communicate with headwall interface 72. If patientsupport apparatus 20 is positioned outside of the bay area 114, firsttransceiver 90 will not be able to communicate with first wall unit 68of headwall interface 72 because first transceiver 90 uses infraredsignals, which are line-of-sight signals, and first wall unit 68 is setup such that its line-of-sight signals are only detectable when thepatient support apparatus is positioned within the corresponding bay114, or a portion of that bay 114. Accordingly, when controller 96determines that first transceiver 90 is able to successfully communicatewith a first wall unit 68 of a headwall interface 72, it concludes thatthe patient support apparatus 20 is positioned adjacent to the headwallinterface 72.

Second transceiver 92 is able to communicate with second wall unit 70when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of bay area 114because second transceiver 92 is a Bluetooth transceiver that uses radiofrequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight. Accordingly, patientsupport apparatus 20 does not need to be in bay area 114 to communicatewith second wall unit 70. However, the power levels of the Bluetoothcommunication used by second wall unit 70 are set such that patientsupport apparatus 20 is not generally able to communicate with aheadwall interface 72 when the patient support apparatus is positionedoutside of the room in which the headwall interface 72 is positioned. Asa result, when controller 96 establishes communication with headwallinterface 72 using second transceiver 92, controller 96 knows that it iscurrently positioned within the same room as the headwall interface (orvery close by). Further, when controller 96 establishes communicationwith headwall interface 72 using first transceiver 90, controller 96knows that patient support apparatus 20 is currently positioned withinthe bay area 114 associated with that particular headwall interface 72.Accordingly, controller 96 is able to confirm its position within aparticular room using two sources of information.

Each headwall interface 72 includes a unique identifier that uniquelyidentifies that particular headwall interface 72 from the other headwallinterfaces 72 within the healthcare facility. When first transceiver 90is able to communicate with first wall unit 68, the unique identifierfrom the headwall interface 72 is transmitted from headwall interface 72to the patient support apparatus 20. Similarly, when second transceiver92 is able to communicate with second wall unit 70, the same uniqueidentifier from the headwall interface 72 is transmitted to patientsupport apparatus 20. Controller 96 of patient support apparatus 20either sends the unique identifier to location server 110 a via thirdtransceiver 102 (and location server 110 a then converts the identifierinto a location via a look-up table it has access to that correlates allof the headwall interface 72 identifiers within the healthcare facilityto their respective locations), or controller 96 consults an on-boardlook-up table that correlates the unique identifiers to locations withinthe healthcare facility. In the former case, controller 96 sends theidentifier and in the latter case, controller 96 sends its actuallocation. The identifier or location is sent to location server 110 aand/or to other servers/applications on computer network 106.

FIG. 6 depicts the communication of patient support apparatus 20 withboth first wall unit 68 and second wall unit 70. This is shown by aninfrared communication link 116 between first wall unit 68 and firsttransceiver 90, as well as a Bluetooth communication link 118 betweensecond wall unit 70 and second transceiver 92. When both of thesecommunication links 116 and 118 are established, controller 96 sends amessage to location server 110 a and/or another server on network 106indicating that it has established normal communications with headwallinterface 72. An additional message may also be sent, as mentionedearlier, that specifies the unique identifier of that particularheadwall interface 72.

FIG. 7 illustrates a situation where patient support apparatus 20 isunable to establish communication using both communication links 116 and118. In this particular situation, controller 96 is only able toestablish IR communication link 116. Bluetooth communication link 118 isnot established due to an obstruction within the room 112. In thissituation, controller 96 is able to determine its location (both aspecific room 112 and a specific bay area 114) within the healthcarefacility because it is able to establish communication link 116, which,as noted, is a line-of-sight communication link that is designed to onlyoperate when patient support apparatus 20 is in that particular bay 114.

In the situation of FIG. 7, controller 96 is programmed to send amessage to location server 110 a and/or another server of network 106via third transceiver 102 indicating its room and bay location withinhealthcare facility, as well as a message indicating that an error ispresent with respect to Bluetooth communication link 118. The recipientof this message, in some embodiments, is programmed to forward thismessage to nurse call system 60, as asset tracking system coupled tonetwork 106, and/or a mobile communication system that is able to relaythis message to a particular healthcare worker carrying a mobilecommunication device (e.g. cell phone, pager, laptop, tablet computer,etc.). An appropriate healthcare worker is thereby notified that acommunication error is present between patient support apparatus 20 andheadwall interface 72. The communication error does not prevent patientsupport apparatus 20 from successfully communicating with headwallinterface 72 (via first communication link 116) and room interface board58, but it may reduce the functionality of the communication (forexample audio communication between patient support apparatus 20 andheadwall interface 72 may have reduced quality because of reducedbandwidth in communication link 116.

FIG. 8 illustrates another situation where patient support apparatus 20is unable to establish communication using both communication links 116and 118. In this particular situation, controller 96 is only able toestablish Bluetooth communication link 118. Infrared communication link116 is not established due to patient support apparatus 20 being locatedoutside of bay area 114 of room 112. In other words, patient supportapparatus 20 is positioned at a location where there is no line-of-sightpath between IR transceiver 90 and first wall unit 68.

In the situation of FIG. 8, controller 96 is programmed to send amessage to location server 110 a and/or another server of network 106indicating its room location within healthcare facility, but not its baylocation. In some embodiments, if IR communication link 116 is notestablished within a predetermined amount of time after establishingBluetooth communication link 118, controller 96 is programmed to send amessage to location server 110 a (and/or another server 110 on network106) indicating that a likely malfunction has occurred with respect tocommunication link 116. The predetermined amount of time is chosen toaccount for the typical amount of time it takes between patient supportapparatus 20 establishing communication link 118 and establishingcommunication link 116 when the patient support apparatus 20 isinitially moved into a room. In other words, if patient supportapparatus 20 is positioned within room 112 for more than a predeterminedtime, controller 96 assumes that any failure to establish communicationlink 116 is not due to patient support apparatus 20 simply being out ofrange of first wall unit 68, but instead is due to a malfunction incommunication link 116.

When controller 96 determines its room location via communication link118 but does not establish communication link 116, it is programmed insome embodiments to forward a message to location server 110 a (and/oranother server on network 106) via third transceiver 102 indicating itsroom location (or simply the unique identifier of headwall interface 72)and an error in its ability to establish communications viacommunication link 116. In some embodiments, the sending of this errormessage is delayed for a predetermined time period in order to allowcontroller 96 to determine whether the error is due to a communicationmalfunction or is due to the patient support apparatus 20 being movedinto or out of the room 112, as will be discussed in more detail below.The recipient of this message, in some embodiments, is programmed toforward this message to nurse call system 60, an asset tracking system,and/or a mobile communication system that is able to relay this messageto a particular healthcare worker carrying a mobile communication device(e.g. cell phone, pager, laptop, tablet computer, etc.). An appropriatehealthcare worker is thereby notified that a communication error ispresent between patient support apparatus 20 and headwall interface 72.The communication error does not prevent patient support apparatus 20from successfully communicating with headwall interface 72 (via secondcommunication link 118) and room interface board 58, but it may reducethe functionality of the communication or it may impact other aspects ofthe operation of the healthcare facility (for example patient supportapparatus 20 may not be able to automatically distinguish which bay ofthe room it is located in, and an association between that bay and aparticular patient may not be able to be automatically established.)

FIG. 9 illustrates a situation where patient support apparatus 20 ispositioned outside of room 112 and therefore is unable to establisheither first communication link 116 or second communication link 118. Inthis particular situation, controller 96 is programmed to send a messageto location server 110 a and/or an asset tracking system or other serveron network 106 indicating it is not currently located in a room with aheadwall interface 72. The message is sent via third transceiver 102. Insome embodiments, when patient support apparatus 20 is not positioned ina room, such as the situation illustrated in FIG. 9, patient supportapparatus 20 is configured to determine its location with the healthcarefacility using other means. For example, in some embodiments, patientsupport apparatus 20 is configured to determine its non-room locationusing triangulation and/or trilateration with respect to the knownposition of the multiple access points 108. Examples of patient supportapparatuses configured to perform this type of location detection aredisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/559,458 filed Dec. 3, 2014, by inventors Michael Hayes et al. andentitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, the completedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types ofsupplemental location-detection systems may also be included withpatient support apparatus 20 in order to detect its location when it isnot positioned within a room, or otherwise in communication range of aheadwall interface 72.

First and second transceivers 90 and 92 of patient support apparatusare, in some embodiments, used as a movement detector 120 (FIG. 5) thatis adapted to detect whether patient support apparatus 20 is in theprocess of leaving a room or entering a room. In such embodiments, notonly is patient support apparatus 20 configured to determine its roomlocation and bay location, but it is also configured to detect whetherit is in the process of being moved out of a room or being moved into aroom. The manner in which first and second transceivers 90 and 92 areused in order to detect this ingress into and egress out of a room isdescribed in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 10 illustrates in more detail one manner in which controller 96utilizes first and second transceivers 90 and 92 to detect when patientsupport apparatus 20 is in the process of being, or recent has been,moved into a room 112 and/or into a bay area 114 of a room 112. Whenpatient support apparatus 20 first enters room 112, second wall unit 70sends out an inquiry message at step 122. The inquiry message isreceived by second transceiver 92 of patient support apparatus 20. Suchinquiry messages are sent periodically and repetitively by second wallunit 70, in at least some embodiments. Upon receiving this inquirymessage, second transceiver 92 responds at step 124 with anacknowledgement message. At this point in time, controller 96 maydetermine that patient support apparatus 20 is entering a room 112because it was not in communication with a second wall unit 70 or afirst wall unit 68 immediately prior to the sending of the inquirymessage at step 122. In other words, the initial commencement ofcommunication with a second wall unit 70—along with the fact that nocommunication link 116 has yet been established between first wall unit68 and first transceiver 90—may be interpreted by controller 96 as anindication that patient support apparatus 20 is entering a room. As willbe discussed in more detail below, this determination of room entry maybe supplemented with additional information received by controller 96 inorder to provide a more robust conclusion that patient support apparatus20 has entered a room.

At some point after patient support apparatus 20 enters a room 112, theperson controlling the movement of patient support apparatus 20 willmove patient support apparatus 20 into a bay area 114. First wall unit68 is configured, in at least some embodiments, to also send outperiodic inquiry messages, such as shown in FIG. 10 at step 126. Whenpatient support apparatus 20 is in a bay area 114, it receives theinquiry message sent at step 126 and responds to the inquiry messagewith an acknowledgement message at step 128. After this exchange ofmessages at steps 126 and 128, controller 96 concludes that patientsupport apparatus 20 is now positioned within the bay area 114associated with the particular headwall interface 72 that it iscurrently in communication with (the inquiry message sent at step 126includes the unique identifier associated with the headwall interface 72of which first wall unit 68 is a part).

Thus, by monitoring the sequence in which first and second transceivers90 and 92 establish communication with a headwall interface 72,controller 96 is able to determine when patient support apparatus 20 ismoving into a room. When controller 96 sees that communication isestablished between second wall unit 70 and second transceiver 92,followed by subsequent communication being established between firstwall unit 68 and first transceiver 90, controller 96 concludes thatpatient support apparatus 20 has just entered a room. As will beexplained in greater detail below, controller 96 is configured in someembodiments to take one or more steps automatically in response to thedetermination that patient support apparatus 20 has just entered a room.

As was noted previously, controller 96 may utilize supplementalinformation beyond that discussed above to determine when patientsupport apparatus 20 has entered a room 112. This supplementalinformation may come from a variety of different sources, including, butnot limited to, one or more of sensors 104. For example, in someembodiments, controller 96 is configured to check the status of thebrake of patient support apparatus. If the brake is currently beingapplied, then controller 96 does not conclude that patient supportapparatus 20 has just entered a room because such movement is highlyunlikely when the brake is applied. Similarly, patient support apparatus20 may be equipped with one or more sensors 104 that detect motion ofpatient support apparatus 20, such as one or more wheel encoders,accelerometers, magnetometers, inertial sensors, signal strengthmonitors that monitor the signal strength of communications with accesspoints 108, etc. If such motion sensors do not indicate any motion istaking place, then controller 96 does not conclude patient supportapparatus 20 has just entered a room, even if communication isestablished with first and second wall units 68 and 70 in the orderdepicted in FIG. 10. However, if such motion sensors do indicate motionis detected, and communication is established in the order shown in FIG.10, this provides confirmation to controller 96 that patient supportapparatus 20 has indeed entered a room 112.

FIG. 11 illustrates in more detail one manner in which controller 96utilizes first and second transceivers 90 and 92 to detect when patientsupport apparatus 20 is in the process of being moved out of, or hasrecently exited, a room 112 and/or a bay area 114. When communicationlinks 116 and 118 are established between patient support apparatus 20and headwall interface 72, periodic messages, such as heartbeatmessages, are repetitively exchanged between patient support apparatus20 and headwall interface 72. In some embodiments, controller 96 isadapted to send a message to location server 110 a or another server 110on network 106 indicating the successful establishment of communicationlinks 116, 118, as confirmed by the successful transmission of one ormore heartbeat messages. Controller 96 is also configured to monitor thesequence in which these heartbeat messages are terminated and to usethat sequence to determine when a patient support apparatus is in theprocess of leaving, or has already left, a room.

As shown in FIG. 11, first wall unit 68 sends one of its periodicmessages to first transceiver 90 of patient support apparatus 20 at step130. Patient support apparatus 20 does not receive this message becauseit has moved outside of the bay area 114 in which such messages arereceivable. Accordingly, at step 132, controller 96 determines that aperiodic message from first wall unit 68 has not been received and thatpatient support apparatus is no longer in bay area 114. At a subsequentstep 134, second wall unit 70 sends out a periodic message (as it isconfigured to repetitively do) to patient support apparatus 20. Asillustrated by step 136, this message is not received by patient supportapparatus 20. The failure to receive this message is used by controller96 to conclude that patient support apparatus 20 has moved out of rangeof second wall unit 70, and this range, as noted, generally correspondsto room 112.

Controller 96 is therefore configured to conclude that patient supportapparatus 20 is moving out of a room based on the order in whichcommunication links 116 and 118 are disestablished. As shown in FIG. 11,when first communication link 116 is first disestablished followed bysecond communication link 118 being disestablished, controller 96concludes that patient support apparatus 20 is moving out of, or hasalready moved out of, a room 112. As with the determination that patientsupport apparatus 20 is moving into a room (described above), controller96 may utilize any of the supplemental motion detection sensorsmentioned above to confirm that such movement is or has occurred, or toconclude that such movement is or has not occurred. Still further, aswith the determination that patient support apparatus 20 has entered aroom, controller 96 is configured to automatically take one or moreactions in response to determining that patient support apparatus 20 hasexited a room, as will be discussed in more detail below.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the specificsequence of messages shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 may be modified from thatshown when concluding that a patient support apparatus 20 is entering orexiting a room. For example, although FIG. 10 illustrates an initialmessage being sent at step 122 from second wall unit 70 to secondtransceiver 92, it will be understood that this may be reversed. Thatis, instead of second wall unit 70 sending out periodic messages thatare detected by second transceiver 92, second transceiver 92 may beconfigured to send out periodic messages that are detected by secondwall unit 70. The same is true for the messages sent at steps 126 and128 in FIG. 10. That is, first transceiver 90 may send out an inquirymessage at step 126 and first wall unit 68 may respond to it at step128. This reversal of messages may also be applied to what is shown inFIG. 11. That is, instead of first wall unit 68 sending out a message atstep 130 that is not received and/or instead of second wall unit 70sending out a message at step 134 that is not received, either of thesemessages may alternatively be sent by first transceiver 90 and secondtransceiver 92, respectively. Thus, the particular order in whichmessages are transmitted between first transceiver 90 and first wallunit 68 are not important, nor is the order in which the messages aretransmitted between second transceiver 92 and second wall unit 70important. Instead, it is the order in which communication links 116 and118 are established or disestablished with respect to each other that isused by controller 96 to determine whether patient support apparatus 20is entering or exiting a room.

As yet another modification to the messages illustrated in FIGS. 10 and11, it will be understood that more than the single messages illustratedtherein may be sent by each of components 68, 70, 90, and 92. That is,for example, it may take multiple messages (e.g. several of steps 122and 124) in FIG. 10 between second wall unit 70 and second transceiver92 before controller 96 concludes that patient support apparatus 20 isin a room and/or before communication link 118 is established.Similarly, steps 126 and 128 may be repeated one or more times beforecontroller 96 determines that patient support apparatus 20 is in aparticular bay area 114. With respect to FIG. 11, controller 96 may beprogrammed to conclude that a communication link 116 and/or 118 is notdisestablished until multiple periodic messages are not received, ratherthan concluding a communication link has been disestablished based uponthe lack of receipt of only a single periodic message. Still othermodifications may be made to the messages illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11and described above when controller 96 determines whether patientsupport apparatus 20 is moving into or out of a room.

In some embodiments, controller 96 is configured to automatically takeone or more steps in response to its determination that patient supportapparatus 20 has just entered a room. These automatic steps include anyone or more of the following: sending a command to room lights 64 (viaheadwall interface 72, cable interface 56, and room interface board 58)to turn on; sending a command to entertainment controls 62 (via headwallinterface 72, cable interface 56, and room interface board 58) to turnon a television or a radio, or to turn up a volume of the television orradio; sending a command to thermostat 66 (via headwall interface 72,cable interface 56, and room interface board 58) to change a temperaturesetting, or to start or stop heating or cooling; sending a notificationmessage to location server 110 a (via third transceiver 102 and wirelessaccess points 108) indicating that patient support apparatus 20 hasentered a room; terminating a power saving mode; turning on one of moredisplays or other indicators on the patient support apparatus 20;turning on a nightlight on patient support apparatus 20; turning onpower to a mattress 40 positioned on patient support apparatus 20;turning on power to one or more amplifiers on patient support apparatus20 (e.g. amplifiers for a radio or for nurse-call communication) and/orother actions.

Still further, controller 96 may be configured to automatically remind acaregiver to couple patient support apparatus 20 to a power supply (e.g.an electrical wall outlet) when controller 96 determines that is hasjust entered a room. This reminder may take the form of a messagedisplayed on a display of patient support apparatus 20, or it may takeon other forms, such as the illumination of one or more lights, theemission of one or more sounds, and/or other forms. In some embodiments,controller 96 is configured to send a message to a server 110 ofcomputer network 106 if an electrical cable is not coupled betweenpatient support apparatus 20 and an electrical wall outlet apredetermined amount of time after patient support apparatus 20 has beenmoved into a room. The recipient server 110 is programmed to forward themessage to one or more caregivers associated with that particularpatient support apparatus 20 (or a patient assigned to that patientsupport apparatus 20) reminding the caregiver to plug in the patientsupport apparatus 20 to a power supply. The message may be forwardedusing a conventional communication server 110 on network 106.

In some healthcare settings, administrative personnel may decide thatpatient support apparatuses 20 are preferred to communicate with nursecall system 60 via a cable rather than wirelessly. In other words,administrative personnel may prefer to have a cable coupled betweenpatient support apparatus 20 and cable interface 56, rather than utilizethe wireless communication between patient support apparatus 20 andheadwall interface 72. In such embodiments, controller 96 isconfigurable to issue a reminder to caregivers to couple a nurse callcable between patient support apparatus 20 and cable interface 56 whenit is determined that patient support apparatus 20 has just entered aroom. As with the reminder to plug in a power cable mentioned above, thenurse call cable reminder may take on a variety of different forms,including a message on a display, one or more audio or visualindications, and/or a message to a server 110 on network 106 capable offorwarding message to mobile electronic devices carried by caregivers.When controller 96 is configured to issue a nurse call cable reminder,controller 96 may be configured by appropriate personnel to issue thenurse call cable reminder in one or more particular rooms, and/or moreparticular sets of rooms, floors, wings, and/or for the entirehealthcare facility. In other words, the nurse call cable reminder maybe issued by controller 96 only in some rooms, or it may be issued inall of the rooms of the healthcare facility

In some embodiments, any one or more of the actions automaticallyundertaken by controller 96 in response to detecting patient supportapparatus 20 has entered a room are modified to be contingent uponwhether or not a patient is present on patient support apparatus 20, asdetected by patient presence detector 98. For example, if no patient ispresent when a patient support apparatus 20 is moved into a room, thencontroller 96 is configured in some embodiments to skip automaticallyperforming one or more of the following actions: sending a command toturn on a television or radio (or turn up the volume of the televisionor radio); sending a command to thermostat 66; sending a command to roomlights 64; terminating a power saving mode; turning on one of moredisplays or other indicators on the patient support apparatus 20;turning on a nightlight on patient support apparatus 20; turning onpower to a mattress 40 positioned on patient support apparatus 20;turning on power to one or more amplifiers on patient support apparatus20 (e.g. amplifiers for a radio or for nurse-call communication) and/orother actions. Other changes may be implemented based on the presence orabsence of a patient on patient support apparatus 20.

Controller 96 is also configured in some embodiments to automaticallytake one or more steps in response to its determination that patientsupport apparatus 20 is exiting, or has just exited, a room 112. Theseautomatic steps include any one or more of the following: sending acommand to room lights 64 (via headwall interface 72, cable interface56, and room interface board 58) to turn off; sending a command toentertainment controls 62 (via headwall interface 72, cable interface56, and room interface board 58) to turn off a television or a radio, orto turn down a volume of the television or radio; sending a command tothermostat 66 (via headwall interface 72, cable interface 56, and roominterface board 58) to change a temperature setting, or to start or stopheating or cooling; sending a notification message to location server110 a (via third transceiver 102 and wireless access points 108)indicating that patient support apparatus 20 has exiting a room;entering a power saving mode; shutting off one of more displays or otherindicators on the patient support apparatus 20; turning off a nightlighton patient support apparatus 20; turning off power to a mattress 40positioned on patient support apparatus 20; turning off power to one ormore amplifiers on patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. amplifiers for aradio or for nurse-call communication) and/or other actions.

In some embodiments, any one or more of the actions automaticallyundertaken by controller 96 in response to detecting patient supportapparatus 20 has exited a room are modified to be contingent uponwhether or not a patient is present on patient support apparatus 20, asdetected by patient presence detector 98. For example, if no patient ispresent when a patient support apparatus 20 is moved out of a room, thencontroller 96 is configured in some embodiments to skip automaticallyperforming one or more of the following actions: sending a command toturn off a television or radio (or turn down the volume of thetelevision or radio); sending a command to thermostat 66; sending acommand to room lights 64; and/or other actions. Other changes may beimplemented based on the presence or absence of a patient on patientsupport apparatus 20.

In addition to carrying out the room entry/exit detection functionsdescribed above, headwall interface 72 and first and second transceivers90 and 92 are configured to carry out a plurality of additionalfunctions. Some of these additional functions have been previouslydescribed and include the communication of voice signals between apatient supported on patient support apparatus 20 and a nurse positionedremotely at a nurse's station, the communication of control signalsbetween patient support apparatus 20 and room interface board 58 (andthe components in communication with room interface board 58), and thecommunication of data/alerts to nurse call system 60. Further, first andsecond transceivers 90 and 92 may carry out any of the functionsdisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/819,844 filed Aug. 6, 2015 by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al.and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALLCOMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference.

It will be understood that, although first and second transceivers 90and 92 and controller 96 have been described herein as being integral topatient support apparatus 20, these component may be modified to be partof a separable module that is inserted into patient support apparatus20. For example, in one such modified embodiment, transceivers 90 and 92and controller 96 are packaged into a removable module, such as adongle, that is inserted into a port on patient support apparatus 20.When so inserted, the module allows all of the aforementionedcommunication abilities and movement detection abilities to be carriedout by the patient support apparatus 20. This enables conventionalexisting patient support apparatuses 20 to be converted to patientsupport apparatuses having the functionality described herein. In someembodiments, the port on patient support apparatus 20 that the moduleplugs into is the cable interface 94 of the patient support apparatus20.

As previously noted, headwall interface 72 may be configured to send a“cord-out” alert to room interface board via cable interface 56 ifeither wired or wireless communication between itself and patientsupport apparatus 20 is unexpectedly lost. Room interface board 58forwards this cord-out alert to nurse call system 60. In at least someof those embodiments of headwall interface 72 that are adapted to sendsuch cord-out alerts, headwall interfaces 72 are adapted to eliminatesuch cord-out alerts when it detects that patient support apparatus 20is exiting a room. Headwall interface 72 detects that patient supportapparatus 20 is exiting the room in the same manner controller 96detects this exit. That is, headwall interface 72 includes a controllerthat monitors the order in which communication links 116 and 118 aredisestablished between headwall interface 72 and patient supportapparatus 20. When the controller of headwall interface 72 determinesthat communication link 116 is first disestablished followed bycommunication link 118, it is configured in some embodiments to notissue a cord-out alert because it is presumed that the ordereddisestablishment of communication links 116 and 118 is a result of thepatient support apparatus 20 being moved out of the bay area and room,rather than the result of both of those communication links suffering anordered malfunction.

Although not mentioned above, it will be understood that theestablishment of communication links 116 and 118 between a patientsupport apparatus 20 and headwall interface 72 takes place automaticallywithout requiring any steps on the part of a caregiver that are specificto this process. In other words, the caregiver does not need to press abutton, flip a switch, or manipulate any controls on either patientsupport apparatus 20 or headwall interface 72. Instead, the merepositioning of patient support apparatus 20 within range of first and/orsecond wall units 68 and 70 automatically causes patient supportapparatus 20 to establish communication links with these devices.

In those situations where a room contains multiple headwall interfaces72, Bluetooth transceiver 92 may initially establish a communicationlink 118 with a headwall interface 72 when entering a room that is notthe headwall interface in which the patient support apparatus 20 isultimately parked in front of. In other words, when patient supportapparatus 20 is initially moved into a room with multiple headwallinterfaces 72, second transceiver 92 generally has enough range to beable to communicate with both (or all) of the headwall interfaces 72within that room. Multiple communication links 118 may therefore beinitially established. However, once the patient support apparatus 20 ismoved to a specific bay area 114, the patient support apparatus 20receives the unique identifier corresponding to the headwall interface72 of that particular bay area 114. This is sent to patient supportapparatus 20 via first transceiver 90. Controller 96 uses this specificidentifier to determine that which of the multiple headwall interfaces72 it is supposed to have second communication link 118 with. Ittherefore disestablishes any second communication links 118 it may haveestablished with the other headwall interfaces 72 that do not have thespecific identifier it received via first transceiver 90. The result isthat patient support apparatus 20 ends up having a single communicationlink 116 and a single communication link 118 with only one (and thesame) headwall interface 72.

In some embodiments, controller 96 is configured to utilize headwallinterface map information stored on board patient support apparatus 20in order to supplement the determination of whether or not patientsupport apparatus 20 is entering or exiting a room. This information isused in conjunction with the sequence in which second transceiver 92comes into and out of communication ranges of the multiple headwallinterfaces 72. For example, if a room contains a first headwallinterface 72 close to the door of a room 112 and a second headwallinterface 72 that is farther away from the door, controller 96 may usesecond transceiver 90's ability to communicate with the two headwallinterfaces 72 to confirm entry or exit of patient support apparatus 20.This is done by monitoring the order in which second transceiver 92comes into, or out of, communication range with the two headwallinterface 72.

If second transceiver 92 first comes into communication range of theheadwall interface 72 closer to the door and then into communicationrange of the headwall interface 72 farther from the door, this providesconfirmation that the patient support apparatus has just entered theroom, moved past the closer headwall interface, and is now positionednear the farther headwall interface 72. Conversely, if secondtransceiver 92 first disestablishes communication link 118 with theheadwall interface 72 farther from the door, but still remains incommunication range of the headwall interface 72 closer to the door forsome time after moving out of range of the farther headwall interface72, and then eventually loses communication with both headwallinterfaces 72, this provides confirmation that patient support apparatus20 has been moved out of the room 112. Controller 96 thus uses anon-board map of the locations of each of the headwall interfaces 72along with the order in which communication link 118 isestablished/disestablished with the headwall interfaces 72 to determinehow patient support apparatus 20 is moving throughout a healthcarefacility. This information is used in addition to the monitoring of theorder in which communication links 116 and 118 are established anddisestablished relative to each other when determining if patientsupport apparatus 20 is entering or exiting a room.

In addition to any one or more of the methods or factors described abovethat are used by controller 96 to determine if patient support apparatus20 is entering or exiting a room, controller 96 is also programmed insome embodiments to monitor the signal strengths of the communicationlinks 116 and 118 when determining whether patient support apparatus 20is entering or exiting a room. Controller 96 does this by determiningwhether signals strengths are abruptly changed or gradually changed inthe moments before a communication link is disestablished or in themoments after a communication link is established. Where there is agradual change (reduction) in signal strength in the moments before acommunication link (116 or 118) is disestablished, this is indicative ofthe patient support apparatus 20 being moved away from the adjacentheadwall interface 72. If there is an abrupt change in signal strengthin the moments before the communication link is disestablished, this isindicative that the disestablishment of the communication link was dueto interference, or some other factor other than the movement of thepatient support apparatus 20.

Conversely, if there is a gradual change (increase) in signal strengthin the moments after a communication link is established, this isindicative of patient support apparatus 20 moving closer to a headwallinterface 72. However, if there is an abrupt change in signal strengthin the moments after a communication link is established, this isindicative of an obstruction having been removed (or added), or someother cause unrelated to movement of patient support apparatus 20. Asnoted, these signal strength measurements may be used in conjunctionwith any or all of the other factors and methods described above whencontroller 96 determines whether patient support apparatus 20 isentering or exiting a room.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made to thestructures and methods described herein. For example, although headwallunit 72 has been described as comprising first and second wall units 68and 70, it will be understood that these wall units 68 and 70 do notneed to be mounted to a wall. Instead, these units 68 and/or 70 can bemounted in any fixed location within a room, including, but not limitedto, the ceiling, the floor, or to other architectural structures withinthe room. It will also be understood that controller 96 may be modifiedto communicate with nurse call system 60 via third transceiver 102 inaddition to such communication via headwall interface 72. Communicatingvia third transceiver 102 can be useful in situations where patientsupport apparatus 20 has been moved out of a room and is no longer incommunication with the headwall interface 72. By communicating usingthird transceiver 102, controller 96 is able to send a message to thenurse call system 60 (via access points 108) indicating that it hasmoved away from headwall interface 72, and the nurse call system 60 cantherefore cancel any cord-out alert that may have existed and/or takeother actions knowing that patient support apparatus 20 is no longerpositioned at that particular headwall interface 72.

It will also be understood that the use of the term “transceiver” hereinis intended to cover not only devices that include a transmitter andreceiver contained within a single unit, but also devices having atransmitter separate from a receiver, and/or any other devices that arecapable of both transmitting and receiving signals or messages.

Various additional alterations and changes beyond those alreadymentioned herein can be made to the above-described embodiments. Thisdisclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not beinterpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments or to limitthe scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated ordescribed in connection with these embodiments. For example, and withoutlimitation, any individual element(s) of the described embodiments maybe replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similarfunctionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes,for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those thatmight be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternativeelements that may be developed in the future, such as those that oneskilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative.Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using thearticles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limitingthe element to the singular.

What is claimed is:
 1. A patient support apparatus comprising: a supportsurface adapted to support a person; a first transceiver adapted toestablish first wireless communication with a first headwall unitpositioned at a fixed location in a room; a second transceiver adaptedto establish second wireless communication with a second headwall unitpositioned at a fixed location in the room; and a controller adapted toautomatically determine from the first and second wirelesscommunications at least one of the following: (1) when the patientsupport apparatus is leaving the room, and (2) when the patient supportapparatus is entering the room.
 2. The patient support apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the controller automatically determines when the patientsupport apparatus is leaving the room, and the controller does so bymonitoring an order in which the first and second transceiversdiscontinue communication with the first and second headwall units,respectively.
 3. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein thecontroller automatically determines when the patient support apparatusis entering the room, and the controller does so by monitoring an orderin which the first and second transceivers establish communication withthe first and second headwall units, respectively.
 4. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first transceiver is aninfrared transceiver and the second transceiver is a radio frequencytransceiver.
 5. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein thefirst transceiver communicates first periodic heartbeat messages withthe first headwall unit, the second transceiver communicates secondperiodic heartbeat messages with the second headwall unit, and thecontroller is adapted to forward information to a remote deviceindicative of successful communication of the first and second heartbeatmessages.
 6. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising: a nurse call cable interface for connecting a nurse callcable between the patient support apparatus and a nurse call outlet of anurse call system; a nurse call connection detector adapted to detectwhen the nurse call cable is in communication with the nurse callsystem; and wherein the controller is further adapted to alert acaregiver to couple the nurse call cable between the patient supportapparatus and the nurse call outlet if the caregiver fails to do so andthe first and second transceivers have established communication withthe first and second headwall units, respectively.
 7. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a patient presencedetector adapted to detect when a patient is present on the supportsurface and when a patient is not present on the support surface; andwherein the controller is further adapted to automatically deactivate atleast one function of the patient support apparatus if the controllerdetermines the patient support apparatus is leaving the room and thepatient is not present on the support surface.
 8. The patient supportapparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to send amessage to a remote device in response to determining the patientsupport apparatus is leaving the room, the message including aninstruction to perform at least one of the following: (1) turn off aroom light; (2) turn off a radio; (3) turn off a television; and (4)change a temperature setting in the room.
 9. A patient support apparatuscomprising: a support surface adapted to support a person; a firsttransceiver adapted to establish first wireless communication with afirst headwall unit positioned at a fixed location in a room; a secondtransceiver adapted to establish second wireless communication with asecond headwall unit positioned at a fixed location in the room; and acontroller adapted to automatically send a first message to a remotedevice indicating the patient support apparatus is not in the room ifthe first and second transceivers are unable to establish first andsecond wireless communication with the first and second headwall units,respectively.
 10. The patient support apparatus of claim 9 wherein thecontroller is further adapted to send a second message to the remotedevice indicating the patient support apparatus is in a particular bayof the room if the first and second transceivers are able to establishfirst and second wireless communication with the first and secondheadwall units, respectively.
 11. The patient support apparatus of claim10 wherein the controller is further adapted to send a third message tothe remote device indicating the patient support apparatus is in theroom and an error condition exists if only one of the first and secondtransceivers is able to establish communication with the first andsecond headwall units, respectively.
 12. The patient support apparatusof claim 10 wherein the first transceiver is an infrared transceiver andthe second transceiver is a radio frequency transceiver.
 13. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 12 wherein the controller is further adaptedto automatically determine from the first and second wirelesscommunications when the patient support apparatus is leaving the room,and the controller does so by monitoring an order in which the first andsecond transceivers discontinue communication with the first and secondheadwall units, respectively.
 14. The patient support apparatus of claim12 further comprising a patient presence detector adapted to detect whena patient is present on the support surface and when a patient is notpresent on the support surface; and wherein the controller is furtheradapted to automatically deactivate at least one function of the patientsupport apparatus if the controller determines the patient supportapparatus is leaving the room and the patient is not present on thesupport surface.
 15. The patient support apparatus of claim 12 whereinthe controller automatically determines when the patient supportapparatus is entering the room, and the controller does so by monitoringan order in which the first and second transceivers establishcommunication with the first and second headwall units, respectively;and wherein the controller is further adapted to send a message to aremote device in response to determining the patient support apparatusis entering the room, the message including an instruction to perform atleast one of the following: (1) turn on a room light; (2) turn on aradio; (3) turn on a television; (4) change a temperature setting in theroom; and (5) alert a caregiver to couple a power cable between thepatient support apparatus and an electrical outlet.
 16. A patientsupport apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support aperson; a movement detector adapted to detect if the patient supportapparatus is moving into or out of a room; and a controller adapted toautomatically perform a first action if the movement detector detectsthe patient support apparatus is moving out of the room and toautomatically perform a second action if the movement detector detectsthe patient support apparatus is moving into the room.
 17. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 16 wherein the first action is sending aninstruction to perform at least one of the following: (1) turn off aroom light; (2) turn off a radio; (3) turn off a television; and (4)change a temperature setting in the room; and wherein the second actionis sending an instruction to perform at least one of the following: (1)turn on a room light; (2) turn on a radio; (3) turn on a television; (4)change a temperature setting in the room; and (5) alert a caregiver tocouple a power cable between the patient support apparatus and anelectrical outlet.
 18. The patient support apparatus of claim 16 furthercomprising a patient presence detector adapted to detect when a patientis present on the support surface and when a patient is not present onthe support surface, and wherein the controller chooses the secondaction based upon whether the patient is present or not, and thecontroller chooses the first action based upon whether the patient ispresent or not.
 19. The patient support apparatus of claim 16 whereinthe movement detector comprises: a first transceiver adapted toestablish first wireless communication with a first headwall unitpositioned at a fixed location in a room; and a second transceiveradapted to establish second wireless communication with a secondheadwall unit positioned at a fixed location in the room.
 20. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 19 wherein the controller determinesthe patient support apparatus is leaving the room by monitoring an orderin which the first and second transceivers discontinue communicationwith the first and second headwall units, respectively; and wherein thecontroller determines the patient support apparatus is entering the roomby monitoring the order in which the first and second transceiversestablish communication with the first and second headwall units,respectively.